We’re excited to announce that the Office of Academic Personnel has officially become the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF). This change reflects our renewed vision to provide strategic, consultative support for faculty success across all career stages.
As we work to update our resources and materials, we kindly ask for your patience. If you have any questions or encounter outdated references, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
Policy Statements Applying to A/B Salary Agreements
General Policy Overview
Irrevocability: The decision to adopt an A/B salary structure and reduce one’s tenure fraction (or future tenure fraction) is irrevocable by the faculty member.
Responsibilities: The adoption of an A/B salary structure does not modify a faculty member’s institutional workload responsibilities and obligations related to teaching, research, and service. This includes obligations related to research effort certification (GIM 35) and is irrespective of whether the B portion is funded. Adoption of an A/B salary structure, as well as continued funding of the B-component of salary, shall not adversely affect a faculty member’s ability to support graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and other staff associated with research activities.
Funding and Compensation
Availability of Funding: If funding is not available for the B-component of salary, the faculty member should work with their unit leader to determine if a reapportionment of work responsibilities among scholarship, teaching, and service is appropriate. The faculty member is still considered a full-time employee even if they are not receiving their full base salary. Faculty who were initially hired with a 100% state-funded FTE and are on A/B salary structure due to a retention are not subject to GIM-38: the reduction of FTE associated with an unfunded B-component is not subject to reduced responsibility status or to the 3-year Leave Without Pay consecutive quarter limitations, but may continue indefinitely with a right to increase FTE to 100% should funding resume. Those with an A/B salary structure due to (pending) partial tenure upon initial hire are subject to GIM-38 and should go on reduced responsibility when the B-component is not funded.
Additional Compensation: Additional compensation beyond the A+B salary must meet the significant expansion of duty criteria of Executive Order 59; the 25% threshold for Provost approval is based on the full A+B salary. If a faculty member is on reduced FTE due to unfunded B-component salary, state support for additional duties should be entered as a temporary FTE increase rather than a temporary pay supplement.
Summer Salary for Faculty in 9-month Appointments: Faculty may support themselves from non-state sources up to the full base salary (A+B) amount during summer months subject to the standard limits of 2.5 total months of summer compensation. Any state support for summer teaching or service activity is calculated as a fraction of the total A+B salary.
Retirement Contributions: Individual and University-matching contributions to a faculty member’s retirement plan are based on a faculty member’s actual paid salary and thus are reduced when the B-component is not funded.
External and Professional Work
Outside Professional Work: An A/B salary structure does not modify the institutional limitations on outside professional work as detailed in Executive Order 57 regardless of whether the B-component is funded.
Leaves and Absences
Paid Professional Leave: Faculty on paid professional leave (sabbatical) will be provided unit-administered, state-funded support of the A-component of salary consistent with the Professional Leave Policy, EO 33. The B-component and unpaid A-component (if any) may be funded from available non-state funding sources.
Paid Medical or other FMLA Leave: Family or Medical leave is not a basis on which to discontinue funding a B-component of salary if applicable funds are available.
Partial Leave of Absence: Requests for partial leaves of absence will need to address the apportionment to A and B salary components. In general, partial leaves will be proportionately applied to the A and B salary components. For example, a faculty member on 20% unpaid leave (for personal or professional reasons) will have both the A- and B-components reduced by 20%. However, if a faculty member seeks a partial leave only from state-funded teaching responsibilities, such a leave is applied only to the A-component (see Teaching Buyout below); a faculty member may also seek partial leave from either clinical or research activities, which may affect the proportional reduction in salary.
Tenure, Promotion, and Merit
Tenure, Promotion, and Merit: Evaluations relating to tenure, promotion, and merit must consider 100% of a faculty member’s responsibilities and obligations in the core areas to teaching, research, and service, regardless of funding sources (including if the B proportion is not funded). Evaluations should not consider whether the B component is funded but rather assess the work that is accomplished based on the workload assignments in teaching, research, and service.
Merit and Unit Adjustments: Subsequent annual salary adjustments shall be applied equally to both components of the total base salary, keeping the A/B ratio constant. The A-component adjustment will be funded from unit-administered state funds and the B-component must be funded from applicable non-state sources.
Special Compensation and Buyouts
Teaching or Administrative Buyouts: Research-funded buyouts of teaching and/or service obligations, as well as administrative buyouts of teaching, will be calculated in terms of a faculty members total base salary (A+B) and are applied only to the A component. Any such “A salary recapture” must be connected to a reduction in state-supported obligations and may not be considered as a requirement for merit review.
Retention and Rehire Rights
Vested Right of Rehire: Upon retirement, the vested right of rehire is limited to 40% of the A component for 5 years. The maximum annual salary after retirement is capped at 40% of the faculty member’s recent paid salary; this is 40% of (A+B) if the B component has been funded but is reduced if it has not.